HOOVER, Alabama -- Of the couple of thousand people
attending the seventh annual Preserve
Jazz Festival shortly after the music started at about 4 p.m. today, Nelson
and Sandra Caraballo were among the most dedicated.

"I drove all the way ... from Tampa here because my wife is
a big Spyro Gyra fan," Nelson Caraballo said.

With the sounds of the Good Times Brass Band filling the venue
at The Preserve subdivision in Hoover, the Caraballos were ready for tonight's
headliner to take the stage at the annual festival. Despite the threat of
thunderstorms in the forecast, thousands of fans converged on the grass field
with lawn chairs and blankets for their evening of music.

Another dedicated fan in the today's audience was Albert
Felder, the father of opening performer Kim
Scott. Felder sat near the stage
with Scott's 7-year-old son, Jaden, and others to check out their star
musician, who plays the flute.

"I'm only here because of my daughter, but I'll be back.
This is a great festival," said Felder, who lives in Hoover. "I think it's
outstanding."

Scott is a Birmingham native who is the chair of the
Department of Music at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she teaches flute.
"I think she's going to blow up," Felder said about her popularity.

"My husband and I have been coming for five years," said
Terry Beasley of Birmingham with her husband, Zachary. "He loves the openness, the atmosphere, the
environment."

Susan Levine of Birmingham attended with her
daughter Robin Levine to enjoy music in
the outdoors.

"The venue is fantastic for anything," Susan Levine said.
"It's easy to get in and out. And the fact that you can bring your own food,
that's a plus."

Robin Levine recalled growing up and listening to jazz
occasionally with her mother.

"Who can beat music in a park? I love music festivals and
I love supporting events in Birmingham, so it goes hand in hand," the daughter
said, who just graduated from High Point University in North Carolina.

"It's a good mother-daughter Sunday," she said.

Hoover's Susan Sheedy with her husband, Scott, relaxed in
a couple of chairs toward the back of the venue in the shade to enjoy the
music.

"I read in the paper the founders of this always had a
great selection of jazz, and he likes jazz and I like music," she said. And if
it was any hotter, we wouldn't be out here, but it's a gorgeous day."